Port's Executive Director Michael Meekins barely survives second attempt to fire him

For the second time in as many months, Port of Palm Beach Executive Director Michael Meekins has survived an effort to fire him with the same two commissioners — Jean Enright and Deandre Poole — voting to terminate him for cause.

Commissioners Wayne Richards, Varisa Lall Dass and Blair Ciklin voted to retain him. Meekins earns $230,00 a year to oversee operations at Florida’s fourth-largest container port. The normally calm commission meetings have evolved into contentious discussions of whether Meekins, after just 10 months on the job, should stay or go.

Enright first called in December for Meekins' firing, claiming Meekins had made major policy changes, overspent last year's fiscal budget, promoted unqualified employees and made hires without first discussing them with commissioners. She repeated the claims at a meeting on Jan. 18, again forcing a roll-call vote to dismiss him.

Meekins has declined to publicly respond to the accusations but he did enclose texts as part of his monthly report to commissioners at this month's meeting purporting to show that he kept commissioners informed on a number of critical issues facing the Port. The move only further angered Enright and Poole who said Meekins had no right to disclose the texts as part of the public record of the Jan. 18 meeting.

"What employee would do that to his boss?" she asked. "That's insubordination."

Enright told The Palm Beach Post that some of the texts Meekins attributed to her were really texts that he sent. She accused him of fabricating some of them. Meekins, in an email, denied that he fabricated any text messages, stating:

"I am ready to turn over my phone at any time for forensic evaluation which will 100 percent prove that this accusation is false. I believe the Board members, staff and more importantly the public absolutely deserve to know the truth regarding these serious allegations.”

Enright said morale among staff has been impacted by excessive salary increases given to certain employees and promotions of some employees into positions that they are not qualified to hold. Some of the large "market" increases exceeded $20,000, according to data obtained by The Post. The 15% to 20% increases, according to Enright, have caused morale problems.

"Your employees are not happy," Enright told her fellow commissioners at the January meeting. "These market increases were given without our knowledge and without any evaluations being done."

More: Port's security company on probation after passenger took 4-day cruise with loaded 9 mm gun

Port director: New hires, salary increases were offset with new revenues

In his report to the commission, Meekins said he presented a budget for the 2024 fiscal year that was approved Sept. 21, 2023, that called for the addition of 10 new employees. The costs were offset with new revenues, he said.

"From the time of my first interview, I have always made it a clear goal to increase staffing, adjust responsibilities and set up the Port for continued success paid for with new revenue," Meekins said in his executive director's report to commissioners.

Meekins went on to say that he informed commissioners at a budget workshop in August of the new hires and increased salaries. Enright, however, said he made the disclosure after the hires were already made and the impact on the budget was for last year's budget; not the one that took effect Oct. 1.

More: Port of Palm Beach's executive director nearly fired; move to terminate his contract rejected

Michael Williams, the former CFO of the Port who said he resigned over policy differences with Meekins, agreed with Enright that the hires had already occurred when he presented his budget for fiscal year 2024 to the commission in August.

"I felt that this should have been presented before the fact, not after the fact," he told The Post.

Port commissioner: Security company debacle was not handled properly

Enright has also questioned Meekins' handling of the recent incident involving a cruise passenger who returned from a cruise with a loaded gun later discovered by customs agents. Meekins placed the security company on probation. Enright said that was a decision commissioners should have made.

It is customary for port commissioners to rotate the chair position every year. At the January meeting, it was Wayne Richards' turn to become chair for the current year but both Enright and Poole refused to vote for him, evidence of the rift that has developed over whether Meekins should be terminated.

"I just could not bring myself to vote for him (Richards)," Enright told The Post.

Richards said, as he did in December, it was premature to consider removing Meekins, adding: "It is one thing to be accused of something. It is another thing to have facts and show facts."

Richards has called on staff to provide a detailed presentation about the Port's finances at next month's meeting to address concerns raised by Poole and Enright. Richards and Ciklin said a workshop was needed to clarify how much contact an executive director should have with port commissioners before making day-to-day decisions.

Said Enright: "No workshop can undo this. This man needs to go. He is destroying the Port. And I will keep saying this at every meeting."

Richards told The Post that Meekins told commissioners when he was hired that he was going to hire additional staff and increase salaries for certain employees, adding: "Whether he had to come back to us and get formal approval is unclear but I do not understand why this is an issue now in January well after it occurred."

Varisa Lall Dass said she was concerned about the comments (made by Enright) against Meekins, noting: "We need to be extremely careful about what we say due to liability reasons."

Meekins’ three-year contract does not guarantee salary increases or bonuses. It also specifies that he will not receive longevity salary increases routinely given to other employees. Meekins can be fired with cause but often such action results in litigation. The contract can be terminated without cause, but Meekins would then receive severance pay equal to 20 weeks of employment or more than $140,000.

In February, Meekins' annual contract performance review will take place but the commission, at any time, can terminate his contract.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Port of Palm Beach Director Michael Meekins again survives firing